EMOTE · The emotional signature of anhedonia in depression and psychosis in daily life: Developing a fine-grained and temporal understanding using advanced Experience Sampling Methods

The emotional signature of anhedonia in depression and psychosis in daily life: Developing a fine-grained and temporal understanding using advanced Experience Sampling Methods

Depression and psychosis in adolescents and young adults have a significant economic, health, and social burden on an international scale. Targeting transdiagnostic factors that are common across psychopathologies, and doing so before symptoms develop or worsen, is critical to reduce this burden. Anhedonia is the pervasive inability to anticipate and experience pleasure or interest and is a transdiagnostic feature of many psychopathologies including depression and psychosis. Anhedonia has received comparatively less research attention compared to other symptoms, however, and is not well understood or addressed in available therapies. This project will use existing high-quality experience sampling datasets to advance understanding of anhedonia in daily life. The experience sampling method (ESM) captures data from individuals in real-time in real-world contexts. By capturing real-time moment-to-moment variation, ESM removes retrospective biases and creates more accurate representations of individual experiences. ESM is state-of-the art in emotion and psychopathology research and is uniquely suited to capturing dynamic features of anhedonia that would otherwise not be identified. The primary aims of this project are to explore whether anhedonia fluctuates over time in daily life, whether these fluctuations are related to psychopathology (including depression and psychosis), and whether these fluctuations are impacted by novel interventions. This project will also involve a systematic review of the literature to describe how anhedonia is measured using ESM and to determine whether there is an established best-practice approach. The current research will dramatically advance the field by producing new knowledge about how anhedonia manifests in daily life, as well as how it can be effectively measured using ESM. This knowledge will shape ongoing discussions about methodological issues in ESM research, which are unfolding in the scientific community against the backdrop of the replication crisis in psychological science, and contribute to ongoing efforts to improve ESM measurement. This knowledge will also aid the future development of transdiagnostic approaches targeting anhedonia that are more effective than those currently available. To maximise the reach of project findings, diffusion of knowledge to mental health researchers and clinicians will be facilitated by prioritising open science practices (e.g., sharing results on accessible platforms).

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз